Top 10 TV Shows to Watch Online

Top 10: TV Shows To Watch Online



Sure, we’re still waiting on housekeeping robots and flying cars, but technology really has come quite far. And forget medical science or astronomy -- nowhere have technological advances affected our lives more than in our living rooms. The convergence of computers, televisions and the internet has completely changed the way we view our entertainment, giving viewers the power to choose when and where they watch their favorite shows.

The ostrich-like networks have finally pulled their heads out of the sand and are beginning to offer streaming episodes of their most popular shows on their websites. It’s the guilt-free, legal way to keep up with your personal faves without incurring the wrath of the authorities or gumming your computer up with viruses. But what’s out there that’s worth streaming? We’ve scoured the web to bring the 10 best shows to stream on your PC.
Number 10
Grey’s Anatomy
Where you can stream it: ABC.com
What's available: Last four episodes

TV viewers have always thirsted for medical dramas, and risk-averse, unoriginal networks have been more than happy to meet that demand. Sometimes they flop (3 lbs, L.A. Doctors), while other times they are instant-hit dramas (ER, House). ABC definitely hit the mark with Grey's Anatomy, which has become an incredibly popular hit. The show follows hot, young doctors in Seattle who deal with all the trials and tribulations that come along with being hot, young doctors in Seattle (we imagine that involves things like rain, having too much money, rooting for a cruddy baseball team, and having girls throw themselves at you).

It’s the most popular show around for a reason: it’s really good. But we understand that giving in to it in front of your girlfriend or wife involves also giving up a lot of your manhood, so stream it from ABC.com and watch it alone, under your sheets, just like you did with your comic books back in the day.
Number 9
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Where you can stream it: AdultSwim.com
What's available: Random episodes

Do you like to laugh? Do you have a computer? Then stream this outrageous, random and brilliant cartoon from Adult Swim. The show gained a lot of notoriety when a guerilla marketing plan meant to promote the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie caused a major terrorism scare in Boston. The cartoon itself details the complex, intertwined lives of a milkshake, large fries and lump of meat named, well, Meatwad. Seriously.

In addition to the full episodes that will have you laughing and scratching your head in wonder at the same time, the webmasters at AdultSwim.com have also been nice enough to provide little vignettes of the show’s classic moments to get you caught up.
Number 8
Survivor
Where you can stream it: CBS.com
What's available: Full episodes of the entire season

This must be the 30th edition of the pioneering reality show, but it’s still one of the best. Various characters and buxom beauties are “stranded” in exotic locales and forced to lie, cheat and grow wispy beards all in the quest for $1 million and 15 minutes of fame.

On top of letting you keep up on missed episodes, CBS offers many bonuses on its streaming site -- behind the scenes features, web-exclusive extras and a pause function that is perfect for all the gratuitous bikini shots!

Number 7
Frontline
Where you can stream it: PBS.org
What's available: Many full documentaries

People accuse the internet of being full of juvenile crap, and they are mostly right. But lurking in some corners is high-quality content like the documentaries streaming on PBS’ Frontline website. From exposes on crystal meth to features on the gangs of Baghdad, the site is chocked full of high-quality, educational programming. It’s your tax money put to good use!

There are films dating back to 1985 and the breadth of content is amazing. Be cautioned, you could really wear out your video card if you start visiting this site.
Number 6
The Daily Show
Where you can stream it: ComedyCentral.com
What's available: Certain segments from each episode

Now the place most people to get their news from, this fake news show hosted by the immensely personable Jon Stewart is hilarious and informative all at once. The Daily Show stays fresh and relevant by skewering the inherent lunacy in the modern political arena. Granted, most politicians basically writes the jokes for them, but Stewart and his talented writers produce laugh-out-loud reports, all of which you can stream for free!

Plus, since The Daily Show is on really late at night, streaming it helps you stay looking young and fresh, as well as informed.
Number 5
CSI
Where you can stream it: CBS.com
What's available: Last four episodes

Equal parts cool, educational and gross, this ratings giant might be getting a bit desperate for original crimes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still eminently entertaining. The original CSI (it has spawned two spin offs in New York and Miami) gives a detailed look at the Las Vegas crime lab and how they neatly and efficiently solve all the crimes in that peaceful city in perfect, hour-long investigations.

Streaming lets you watch all the special-effects-laden parts over and over again, right in the comfort of your computer chair. You’ll also find sneak previews of upcoming episodes and behind-the-scenes documentaries on things like how they make such realistic head-squishing noises (it turns out they don’t kidnap hobos and squish their heads... actually, they use watermelons and other large fruits).
Number 4
30 Rock
Where you can stream it: NBC.com
What's available: All episodes

Most “Hollywood insider” fiction is so fraught with inside jokes and self-congratulatory cheese that it is essentially unwatchable. But this biting look behind the scenes of a live sketch show (read: Saturday Night Live) is a rare and wonderful exception. Great characters, sharp writing and the cuter-than-words Tina Fey make this the first great comedy to come along in a while.

Networks have this irritating habit of moving some shows around the schedule almost randomly, making it nearly impossible to figure out when it's on. They have been jerking this hilarious narrative comedy around mercilessly, but you can stream it from NBC.com whenever you want. Take that, you overbearing suits!


Heroes - Credit: NBC.com
Watch TV shows online
Number 3
Lost
Where you can stream it: ABC.com
What's available: Last four episodes

If ever there was a show that was built for streaming, Lost is it. This serial drama about castaways stranded on a ridiculously strange island is complex and filled with more twists than a pretzel made by a drunken blind guy. But now you can use your computer to go back and try and piece together just what the flip is going on.

Keeping up with the convoluted back-stories, staying on top of the steamy love triangles or just spending a little more time reveling in the wonder that is Evangeline Lilly, there are still lots of reasons to stream the show even if it "lost" the plot long ago -- pun intended.
Number 2
24
Where you can stream it: MySpace.com/FOX
What's available: The previous week’s episode

After six action-packed seasons (which is actually only six days in real-time) Jack Bauer’s exploits might be bordering on ludicrous. The man has killed dozens, maybe hundreds of people without so much as a low-level inquiry or minor reprimand, and implausibly escapes death many times an episode -- all without showering or going to the john. Yet, we still tune in week after week. If you are one of the many tuned in to 24, streaming episodes makes it easy to feed your unhealthy obsession.
Number 1
Heroes
Where you can stream it: NBC.com
What's available: Every single episode

NBC’s serial action/drama proved that superheroes don’t all come clad in spandex. It would be impossible to fully articulate the plot in this small space, but the basic premise revolves around ordinary people who discover they have extraordinary abilities -- such as flying, seeing into the future, super-fast healing, etc. -- and then unwittingly find themselves caught up in a race to save the world.

Amazing good guys with cool powers, devilish baddies, complex plotlines -- it’s television done right. And streaming it lets you get caught up if you didn't get hooked from the beginning. Or, if you have watched from the start, streaming it lets you go back and stare at the cheerleader... er, relive some of the series' best moments.

tv guide, what?
Technology has given television audiences an unprecedented level of control. Tech-savvy viewers can use the power of their computer to watch just about anything they want, whenever they want -- with almost no commercials. Gone are the awful days of scheduling your life around your favorite shows or being forced to wait for a rerun when you missed an episode. It’s almost enough to make us forget about the lack of robots. Almost.